Help please on towing and tires

[redbeard7341]

I have a 2003 278RD Coachman 5th wheel with slider. Has GVWR of 9,650 and unloaded weight of 7467. We do not tow unit loaded as we try to lighten load as much as possible. We live in south Georgia. I plan on pulling this with 2010 Ford F150 Super crew cab Lariet 4 x 2 with 5.4L
I have purchased but not installed a Reese 16K fifth wheel sliding hitch as was told need this with short bed body.
I need tires on my 2010 Ford Pickup. Currently have Pirelli 275-55-R20
Any suggestions as I have been told to watch the ply.
Thanks for your help.

[Passin_Thru]

I run Michelin 255/75r16s which will fit your rims and are rated for 2440 I believe Load rating E. I have never had a flat except for running over a valve out of an engine in Pa once. Ride is good at 80 lb and You are right at MAX GCVWR so you need to weigh it.

[skipnchar]

I don't think I've ever seen any posts about truck tires that pinpointed any real problems with any of the major brands. I prefer Cooper Discoverer HT LR E tires (stock size) for my truck but they don't have any nationwide warranty so I once had to bring a tire home with me for adjustment. I think that if making a choice that would be one of the things I'd want to include on a new set of tires.
Good luck / Skip

[JIMNLIN]

redbeard7341 wrote:
I have a 2003 278RD Coachman 5th wheel with slider. Has GVWR of 9,650 and unloaded weight of 7467. We do not tow unit loaded as we try to lighten load as much as possible. We live in south Georgia. I plan on pulling this with 2010 Ford F150 Super crew cab Lariet 4 x 2 with 5.4L
I have purchased but not installed a Reese 16K fifth wheel sliding hitch as was told need this with short bed body.
I need tires on my 2010 Ford Pickup. Currently have Pirelli 275-55-R20
Any suggestions as I have been told to watch the ply.
Thanks for your help.

I would stick with the 20" P tires and make a trip or two and then make a informed decision if more tire is needed.

The problem many 1/2 ton truck owners run into is the only 20" LT tire that is available is a very heavy LT E tires. Lots of parasitic drag for a smallblock gas engine to over come.
Some keep the P tires and have no issues. Others dropped back to OEM 17" tires sizes to find a C or D load range LT tire and gain more seat of the pants towing performance. Smaller diameter tires = more towing performance for that small gas engine.

[samandtheduck]

Tires come in load ranges as in "load range d" or "load range E". The old tire system refered to these as plys. This tells you how many pounds you can safely load onto that tire. Make sure you have tires that exceed the maximum load you are going to carry. If the rear axle has a 4000 pound load on it you would need tires rated at 2000 pounds or above. Other numbers to be concerned about are axle ratings and gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR). Lots of threads in this forum to explain the numbers.
Brian

[donn0128]

Thats going to be close to 2000 pounds in addition to gas, passengers and everything else you might carry in your truck. Are you sure you have enough truck?